About 700 people missing in southern Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot have been found alive, army officials say. People from several villages are said to have made it to higher ground before mud and rock engulfed their homes. Among the survivors found by rescue teams are 200 from Hsiaolin village, reports the Taiwan Central News Agency. However, despite frantic rescue efforts in Hsiaolin and elsewhere since the weekend, hundreds of people are still missing, feared buried under the mud.
Military helicopters have been ferrying villagers out of communities cut off by the storms and floods after roads and bridges were washed away. "We have found around 700 people alive in three villages last night and 26 more this morning. We are deploying 25 helicopters to evacuate them," said Maj Gen Richard Hu, a senior official in the rescue effort. The typhoon struck Taiwan at the weekend, killing at least 60 people and causing the worst flooding in 50 years.
Military helicopters have been ferrying villagers out of communities cut off by the storms and floods after roads and bridges were washed away. "We have found around 700 people alive in three villages last night and 26 more this morning. We are deploying 25 helicopters to evacuate them," said Maj Gen Richard Hu, a senior official in the rescue effort. The typhoon struck Taiwan at the weekend, killing at least 60 people and causing the worst flooding in 50 years.
